Slider for slide fasteners



Oct. 2, 1956 E, MEEH ETAL SLIDER FOR SLIDE FASTENERS Filed Jan. 14, 1952 q g m m ha r 3mm y M ah-EE 0 7 J 0% United States Patent M SLlDER FOR SLIDE FASTENERS Ralph E. Meech, Meadville, and Weston G. Smith, Franklin, Pa., assignors to Talon, Inc., a corporation of Pennsylvania r Application January 14, 1952, Serial No. 266,431

8 Claims. (Cl. 24-205.15)

This invention relates to sliders for slide fasteners of the well-known type wherein a plurality of spaced-apart interlocking fastener elements attached to the edges of a pair of opposed tapes or stringers are engaged and disengaged by movement of a slider therealong, and more particularly to a slider which is removable or releasable from the stringers.

A conventional slider consists generally of a pair of spaced-apart parallel wings or plates securely connected together at one end by a neck or wedge portion, and having inwardly extending marginal guide flanges so as to provide substantially a Y-shaped channel between the wings through which the fastener elements pass for engaging and disengaging the same. Oftentimes, the slider becomes accidently displaced from the fastener elements or stringers due to many causes, for instance, material or other foreign elements may become lodged between the winds and/or flanges and the fastener elements andthe slider, and the fastener becomes inoperative and/or the wings are spread so as to cause the slider to become displaced from the stringers. Also, at times it is desirable for certain obvious reasons to remove the slider entirely from the stringers and to replace it again, but this is diflicult in the case of a conventional slider as any replacement of a conventional slider requires expert knowledge and skill, and at times special tools.

Heretofore, various types of removable or releasable sliders have been suggested and used, but most of these sliders have several disadvantages and have been unsatisfactory. Most of these sliders employed the use of hinged plates or wings with means for locking the wings in spaced relation after the slider was assembled on the stringer. Such sliders not only consisted of a .plurality of intricate parts whichwere difficult and expensive to manufacture and assemble, but oftentimes, the interlocking means would wear and work loose and permitplay between the plates so that. they would spread sufiiciently to become displaced from the stringers, thereby defeating the primary purpose for which such sliders were intended,

According to our invention, there is provided a slider consisting of two independent wings or plates having interlocking means incorporated therewith for connecting them securely together so as to maintain the wings at all times in their proper spaced relation, thereby eliminating the above mentioned disadvantages.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved slider for slide fasteners which can be readily applied to the fastener stringers at any point therealong whereby the fastener is made quickly repairable and operative. l

It is a further object of the invention to provide a removable slider which is readily releasable which will permit a limited separation of the wings but not a complete separation thereof.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a removable slider which can be easily and conveniently assembled on the stringers and having a conr Patented Oct. 2, 1956 struction whereby the wings thereof will be securely moved and maintained in their operative spaced relation.

Various other objects and advantages of this invention will be more apparent in the course of the following specification, and will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

in the accompanying drawings, there is shown for the purpose of illustration, one embodiment which our invention may assume in practice.

In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a slide fastener having the improved slider of our invention incorporated therewith;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through our improved slider showing the wings thereof in their normal operative position;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the position the Wings will assume when the slider is removed from the stringers;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 55 of Fig. 2.

There is shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, a conventional type slide fastener comprising a series of spacedapart interlocking fastener elements 2 attached to opposed beaded edges of tapes or stringers 3. There is arranged on the fastener elements, the improved slider 4 of our invention for longitudinal movement therealong in opposite directions to open and close the fastener in a wellknown manner. This slider consists generally of overlying spaced-part upper and lower wings 5 and 6, respectively, having inwardly extending guide flange portions 7 along their marginal edges and connected at one end thereof by a neck 8 so as to provide a Y-shaped channel between the wings into and through which the fastener elements pass when the slider is moved therealong for engaging and disengaging the same.

According to the present invention, as more clearly shown in Figs. 2 through 5 of the drawings, the connecting neck 8 comprises an inwardly extending stud-like portion 12 arranged integrally with and centrally of the bottom wing at the upper end thereof. At the upper end of the opposed or top wing 5, there is arranged integrally therewith and centrally thereof a larger inwardly extending neck portion 13 having a socket or recess 14 therein conforming to the stud-like portion 12 of the wing 6 and in which it is telescopically disposed for a purpose hereinafter to be described. Both the stud-like portion 12 and the socket 14 with which it cooperates are preferably polygonal-shaped so as to provide a key-like arrangement for preventing rotative movement of the two wings 5 and 6 relative to each other.

In the outer end of the stud-like portion 12, there is arranged a stud-like member 15 which extends outwardly therefrom and up through a hole 16 in the inner wall 17 of a cylindrical recess 18 arranged in the outer wall of the wing 5 centrally between the lugs 9 carried thereby. Around the stud-like member 15, there is arranged preferably a coil spring 19 which is disposed in the recess 18 of the wing 5, and having one end abutting the inner wall 17 and with the outer end thereof abutting the shoulder of an enlarged head 20 arranged on the outer end. of the stud-like member 15.

There is carried by the pull member 10 at one end thereof, a pair of arm portions 21 with each having an inwardly extending trunnion portion 22 which is loosely disposed in apertures 23 arranged in the lugs 9. Between the trunnion portion 22 there is carried by the pull member, a central arm portion 24 having a cam portion 25 arranged integral therewith and which extends between the lugs 9 and cooperates with the stud-like member 15 in a manner presently to be described.

The improved slider of our invention functions in the following manner. When the slider is positioned on the fastener elements 2 in operative position, the wings 5 and 6' thereof assume the position as shown in Figs. 2 and 5 of the drawings with the wing in their operative spaced relation. The wings are maintained in the proper spaced relation due to the action of the spring 19 which forces and holds the wings together with the inner end of the socket portion 14 abutting the walls, the wing 6, as at.26, and with the outer end of the stud-like portion 12 abutting the inner wall of the wing 5, as at 27. In such position, it will be seen that pull member may be moved about its pivotal connection with the lugs 9 through an arc of substantially 180 degrees to manipulate the slider to open and close the fastener in a wellknown manner.

If itisdesiredto remove or release the slider from its normal operative position on the fastener elements, the pull member 10 is moved to its uppermost position about its pivotal connection with the lugs 9, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings. In moving the pull member to such position, it will be, seen that the cam portion 25 carried thereby bears on the head 20 of the stud-like memberlS, thereby forcing the wing 6 away from the wing 5 against the action of the spring 19 so as to space the wing apart, as shown, thereby permitting the slider to be removed from the fastener stringers. To position the slider back on the stringers in its operative position, the slider is positioned on the fastener elements with the elements positioned in the channel between the wings. The pull member is then released, i. e., moved from its uppermost position to a position therebelow, and in moving the pull member to such position it will be seen that the cam portion 25 carried thereby is moved out of engagement with the head 20 of the stud-like member thereby permitting the wings to move toward each other to their operative spaced position due to the action of the spring 19.

As asresult of our invention, it will be seen that there is provided a removable or releasable slider which is simple and inexpensive both in its construction and effective in its operation and function. It will be seen that it can be easily and quickly removed and replaced on the fastener elements even by the most unskilled person without the need of any tools or expert knowledge of fasteners.

While We have shown and described an embodiment which our invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that this embodiment is merely for the purpose of illustration and description, and that other forms may be devised within the scope of our invention as defined in the appended claims.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. A slider 'for slide fasteners of the class described comprising a pair of spaced-apart parallel wings, means arranged at one end of said wings connecting the same together so as to provide a substantially Y-shaped channel therebetween, said connecting means including an inwardly projecting stud-like portion carried by one of said wings, the other of said wings having a socket portion carried thereby conforming to and in which said studlike portion is movably disposed, a stud-like member extending outwardly from said stud like portion and which extends out through an opening .in the opposed wing, a coil spring arranged around said stud-likeportion with one end thereof abutting a wall carried by said opposed wing and with the other end abutting a shoulder arranged adjacent the outer end of said stud-like member whereby said wings are moved and held .in spaced operative relation, and means for forcing said wings apart substantially in parallelism against the action of said spring.

2. A slider for slide fasteners of the class described, as defined in claim 1, wherein the means for forcing the wings apart substantially in parallelism against the action of the spring consists 'of a pull member having a cam 4 surface carried thereby which cooperates with the outer end of said studrlike member.

3. A slider for slide fasteners of the class described comprising a pair of spaced-apart parallel wings, means arranged at one end of said wings connecting the same together so as to provide a substantially Y-shaped channel therebetween, said connecting means including an inwardly projecting stud-like portion carried by one of said wings, the other of said 'wings having a socket portion carried thereby conformingto and in which said studlike portion is movably: disposed, oneof said wings having a recess arranged therein, a stud-like member carried by the opposed wing and extending into and through said recess, a coil-spring arranged in said recess around said stud-like member, one end of said coil spring abutting the inner wall of said recess and the other end abutting a shoulder arranged adjacent the end of said stud-like member, whereby said wings are moved to and heldin spaced operative relation, and means cooperable with said stud like member for forcing said wings apart against the action of said spring.

4. A slider for slide fasteners of the class described, as defined in claim 3, wherein the means cooperable withthe stud-like member for forcing the wings apart against the action of the spring consists of a pull memberattached to one of the wings having a cam portion carried thereby which cooperates with the outer end of the stud-like member.

5. A slider for slide fasteners of the class described comprising a pair of spaced-apart parallel wings, means arranged at one end of said wings connecting the same together so as to provide a substantially Y-shaped channel therebetween, said connecting means including an inwardly projecting stud-like portion carried by one of said Wing's, the other of said wings having a socket portion carried thereby conforming to and in which said studlike portion is movably disposed, a stud-like member extending outwardly from said stud-like portion and which extends out through an opening in the opposed wing, resilient means arranged between a shoulder carried by said stud-like member and a wall carried by said opposed wing whereby said wings are moved and held in spaced operative relation by said resilient means, and means for forcing said wings apart substantially-in parallelism against the action. of said resilient means.

6.'A slider for slide fasteners of the class described, as defined in claim 5, wherein the means for forcing the wings apart substantially in parallelism against the action of the resilient means consists of a pull member having a 'camsu'rface carried thereby which co-operates with the outer end of said stud-like member.

7. A slider for sl'ide fasteners of the class described comprising a pa'ir of spaced-apart parallel wings, means arranged at one endof said wings detachably connecting the same together so as to provide a substantially Y- sh'aped channel therebetween, saidconnecting means in: cluding an inwardly projecting stud-like portion carried by one of said wings, the other of said wings having a socket portion carried thereby conforming to and in which said stud-like portionis movably disposed, one, of said wings having a recess arranged therein, a stud-like member carried by the opposed wing and extending into and through said recess, resilient means arranged in said recess between a shoulder carried by said studrlike membe: and a wall of said recess, whereby said wings are moved. to and held in spaced operative relation by said resilient means, and means co-op'erable with said studlike member for forcing said wings apart against the action of said resilient means.

8. A slider for slide fasteners of the class described, as defined in claim 7, wherein the means co-ope'rable with the stud-like member for forcing the wings apart against the action of the resilient means consists of a pull member attached to one of the wings having a cam portion 5 carried thereby which co-operates with the outer end of ,249 the stud-like member. 2,448,192 2,486,401 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 5 605,855 638,646

Colborne June 21, 1898 6 Meier Nov. 3, 1914 Poux Aug. 31, 1948 Gerstman Nov. 1, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Germany Nov. 20, 1936 

